The World Stroke Organisation and the World Stroke Day

Abstract

The World Stroke Organisation (WSO) was created on the 29th of October 2006 at the World Stroke Congress in Cape Town, when the International Stroke Society and the World Stroke Federation merged to form one single organisation. The World Stroke Day (WSD) proclamation (1), first issued 2004 at the World Stroke Congress in Vancouver, was re-launched at the Cape Town conference. Since then the annual WSD is held on the ‘birthday’ of the WSO – October 29. The WSD is an important way to promote the mission of the WSO: to provide access to stroke care and to promote research and teaching that will improve the care of stroke victims throughout the world. ‘Stroke is the third most common cause of death and a significant cause of disability among adults’ – this phrase or similar wordings have echoed in the pages of the International Journal of Stroke from its inception and will likely continue. Iterations can have a blunting effect on the mind. Yet, the current situation of stroke worldwide should leave no one untouched, and without increased efforts no effective changes are likely to occur. As detailed in the WHO editorial by Shanthi Mendis, recent data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have shown that the current burden of stroke is even graver than previously thought. Stroke is now the second cause of death worldwide, and in terms of burden of disease (measured as DALYs) it the primary cause of disease burden in the Western Pacific region (which includes China) (2). Whereas recent data show improvements in stroke incidence in many high income countries, the opposite trend is observed for low–middle-income regions where a 450% increase has been observed over the last few decades (3). In the developing world, stroke affects individuals in the most productive part of their lives. Stroke risk factors are to a large extent similar across regions in the world. They are detectable; and treatment has firmly been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. However, half of the population with hypertension, the single most common risk factor for stroke, is unaware of their condition. Tobacco use continues to increase in many regions. Unhealthy life-styles abound, and appear to have even larger effects on stroke than previously recognized (4). Stroke is potentially preventable, but recent developments in large parts of the world are not favourable. Stroke is rightfully one of the prioritised areas in the Global Strategy for prevention and control of NCDs launched by the WHO. As a NGO in official relations with the WHO, the WSO will fight in every way it can to defeat stroke. The treatment of stroke has witnessed some of the most remarkable achievements in medicine during the past decades, and includes stroke unit care, thrombolytic therapy, rehabilitation, and prevention of further strokes. Yet, studies of clinical practices have consistently shown gaps between guidelines recommendations and routine care. Stroke care is unequal across regions, and in large parts of the world many of these achievements are not available at all. Knowledge on how to prevent stroke, as well as on how to act in case of suspected acute stroke, is incomplete in the general population. Making a durable change for stroke involves multiple stakeholders, including governmental bodies, nongovernmental organisations, health care professionals, professional societies, stroke support societies, and industry. It is very easy to put responsibility on others and await changes. However, at any level the individual initiatives are singularly important. The theme for World Stroke Day 2010 is ‘Stroke – what can I do?’. The answer is ‘many things’ whatever your position in our society. The success of WSD will depend on the enthusiasm and voluntary action of individuals from every member country. We urge you to heed this call to action to make a change for stroke.